Chinese Language Blog

Located just a few hours northeast of Beijing is the city of Chengde in Hebei province. During the Qing Dynasty, the Emperor would come here to escape from the heat of Beijing. One particular Emperor – Qianlong – had two incredible temples built here. One is a replica of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, and the other was built especially for his 70th birthday and a visiting Panchen Lama.

承德站 – chéng dé zhàn

Chengde station

包子 – bāo zi

stuffed steamed bun

普陀宗乘之庙 – pǔ tuó zōng chéng zhī miào

Putuozongcheng Temple

小布达拉 – xiǎo bù dá lā

Little Potala Palace

清朝 – qīng cháo

Qing Dynasty

乾隆帝 – qián lóng dì

Qianlong Emperor

五台门 – wǔ tái mén

Five Pagoda Gate

河北省 – hé běi shěng

Hebei Province

棒槌峰 – bàng chuí fēng

Hammer Rock

万法归一大殿 – wàn fǎ guī yī dà diàn

Wanfaguiyi Hall

须弥福寿之庙 – xū mí fú shòu zhī miào

Sumeru Temple of Happiness and Longevity

大红台 – dà hóng tái

Great Red Terrace

吉祥法喜 – jí xiáng fǎ xǐ

Jixiangfaxi Hall

琉璃万寿塔 – liú lí wàn shòu tǎ

Glazed Tile Pagoda of Longevity

随便 – suí biàn

casual; random

中式比萨 – zhōng shì bǐ sà

Chinese pizza

鹿肉 – lù ròu

venison

饭后我们去一家酒吧 – fàn hòu wǒ men qù yì jiā jiǔ bā

After dinner we went to a bar.

Certainly the most famous place in Xi’an, the Terracotta Warrior army is a sight to behold. Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of a united China, had these thousands of sculptures buried with him to protect him in the afterlife. Stumbled upon by a group of farmers back in the 70′s, this archaeological wonder is open to the public and is a top tourist destination in China.

兵马俑 – bīng mǎ yǒng
Terracotta Warriors

秦始皇 – qín shǐ huáng
Qin Shi Huang

秦王 – qín wáng
King of Qin

始皇帝 – shǐ huáng dì
First Emperor

农民 – nóng mín
farmers

骊山 – lí shān
Mt. Li

跪射俑 – guì shè yǒng
kneeling archer

中级军吏俑 – zhōng jí jūn lì yǒng
Middle Ranking Officer

高级军吏俑 – gāo jí jūn lì yǒng
High Ranking Officer

鞍马骑兵俑 – Ān mǎ qí bīng yǒng
Cavalry Man

立射俑 – lì shè yǒng
Standing Archer

克林顿 – Kè lín dùn
Clinton

Take a day trip out of Xi’an to the historical site of Mt. Lishan and the Huaqing Hot Springs in this short video. This mountain resort provided R&R for countless Chinese Emperors, with plenty of natural hot springs and beautiful scenery. For more modern history, you can see the place where Chiang Kai-shek hid from the Communists during the Xi’an Incident of 1936. On your way out to see the Terra Cotta Warriors, this is definitely a place worth visiting.

肉夹馍 – ròu jiā mó
sliced meat sandwich

猪肉 – zhū ròu
pork

很好吃 – hěn hǎo chī
very delicious

骊山 – lí shān
Mt. Lishan

缆车 – lǎn chē
cable car

污染很严重 – wū rǎn hěn yán zhòng
The pollution is very serious.

这个小孩很可爱 – zhè ge xiǎo hái hěn kě’ài
This kid is really cute.

旅行团 – lǚ xíng tuán
tour group

射箭 – shè jiàn
archery

兵谏亭 – bīng jiàn tíng
Remonstrance Pavilion

蒋介石 – jiǎng jiè shí
Chiang Kai-shek

西安事变 – Xī’ān shì biàn
Xi’an Incident

国民党 – guó mín dǎng
Kuomintang (Nationalist Party)

华清池 – huá qīng chí
Huaqing Hot Springs

唐玄宗 – táng xuán zōng
Emperor Xuanzong

嫔妃 – pín fēi
concubine

杨贵妃 – yáng guìfēi
Yang Yuhuan

莲花汤- lián huā tāng
Lotus Pool

海棠汤 – hǎi táng tāng
Crabapple Pool

尚食汤 – shàng shí tāng
Shangshi Pool

星辰汤 – xīng chén tāng
Star Pool